More recalls expected as technology improves

Kristine Owram

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Vehicle recalls could become broader and more frequent as automakers use increasingly complex technology and standardized manufacturing processes, analysts say.

"This is a recipe for more rather (than) fewer recall situations," industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers wrote in a note this week, reacting to a flurry of recent recalls that have included Toyota, GM and many other global carmakers. "We are going to see a number of these huge recalls this decade.

"No one is immune."

Increasing government regulation over safety, emissions and fuel efficiency, as well as demand from consumers for better performance, has put pressure on the industry to build more sophisticated cars and trucks, DesRosiers said.

A typical car produced today has 50 electronic controls that use as much computing power as you would find in a jumbo jet, said Tony Faria, co-director of the automotive research centre at the University of Windsor.

"With that sort of complexity, it's just likely that some problem of some sort is going to creep in, no matter what type of testing you do on a vehicle."

General Motors and Nissan this week joined the growing list of automakers recalling large numbers of vehicles due to safety concerns. Other companies that have issued recalls in recent months include Honda, Ford, Chrysler and Toyota. The latter is coming under increasing pressure from regulators and lawyers to explain safety issues that led to a recall of 8.5 million vehicles worldwide.

Many of the recalls announced in recent months have addressed potential defects even if they don't pose a significant safety risk. This was the case with this week's GM recall of 1.3 million vehicles, including more than 256,000 in Canada, to fix power-steering motors. GM said the vehicles are safe to drive and never lose steering, but they may be harder to turn when travelling under 24 kilometres an hour.

These proactive recalls indicate the industry may be moving to address potential problems early to avoid the sort of public beating Toyota has taken.

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